


Strange

by Minunlike



Category: Puyo Puyo
Genre: Kinda?, M/M, Mutual Pining, Self-cest, Star-crossed love, i.e. min is here to make you guys sad again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-16
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-10-30 09:18:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10873782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Minunlike/pseuds/Minunlike
Summary: It was silly, wasn't it? For two souls to fall so hopelessly in love when they could never share their lives with each other?





	Strange

**Author's Note:**

> hi I am back at it again because there still is not enough puyo fanfic out there in the world?? come on guys get your heads in the game
> 
> I found the first parts of this fic as a 3-year-old draft while clearing out my computer and thought it was actually kinda decent? so I... finished it because we need more puyo fic. but also because I think about this pairing a lot... canonically speaking, the relationship between these two is really sweet but also Really Dang Depressing? so I wanted to capitalize on that haha
> 
> please. Enjoy friends

In the beginning, all you needed was a vessel. Just one naive, foolish mortal being to make into your pawn for achieving your own ends.

And in the beginning, that was all he was to you.

The first time you met the eyes of the timid little boy who'd salvaged you from that dusty library, that was all you cared about. Your only concern was having a body to call your own again after eons of incorporeal imprisonment, whether or not that body was truly yours.

But his was not suitable then. Desperate as you were, you could not bring yourself to impose such a horrific, unearthly experience upon someone so young and innocent…

So you resolved to wait. You’d waited countless ages for this chance already. Another decade or so was nothing to you.

He always kept you close to him, closer than the piles of other books that lay scattered around his living space. He leafed through every one of your pages countless times, reading your story and practicing your spells over and over again.

When he wasn't reading you, he would often talk to you. He wasn't a very eloquent speaker, on account of his age, and his rambles weren't too terribly interesting or insightful... but as a soul forcibly bound to your book, you had no real choice but to listen to him, so listen you did.

He told you everything. He told you a great many things he was too cowardly to tell anyone else. He told you about how nobody understood him, about how his family and his classmates were all idiots, about how the whole world was lame and he couldn't wait to be big and powerful so he could punish every one of them and make them regret having ever made a fool out of him.

You could only take his word for how unpleasant the world was. You had not walked upon this earth in several centuries, so this small boy's word was the only word you could rely on.

You couldn't speak back to him in any audible human language, but through a connection established by magic, he was able to understand you perfectly. You obliged his angry, delusional ramblings, and assured him that so long as he wished for it, and as long as he listened to what you told him, you would give him all the power he could ever want.

It was a lie, of course, but he believed every word of it.

He carried you everywhere with him. He took you to school, to the hills and forests and caves outside, around the bustling streets of town, even to bed with him every night. No matter how roughly you were treated, how much mud or food or grabbing hands or tumbles down staircases you endured, the protective magic surrounding the book kept it from sustaining any serious damage.

The boy had no friends to speak of. On the contrary, it seemed as though he could rarely get along with anyone who knew him. He did not have an agreeable personality, and he refused to compromise with others or own up to his own wrongdoings. Most any conversation that involved him seemed to end in dampened moods at best, heated verbal or physical conflicts at worst.

The physical conflicts never ended well for him. Though he and his family seemed gifted with exceptional magic ability, he was physically very frail and prone to injury from even the slightest tap. He was also quite bad at tolerating his injuries, and would tear up at the very first signs of pain. Truthfully, he was a bit of a crybaby in general, and it was almost as commonplace to see him in a tearful fit as it was to see him calm. You often had serious concerns over whether his body could physically withstand having your soul forced into it.

When you considered all of this, along with his remarkable talent for pissing people off just by talking with them, it was easy to understand why he so often avoided being social.

Instead, he elected to hide away by himself, pouring his energy into his books and his schoolwork, never seeking the company of living people. The only sentient being to whom he would allow himself to confide his feelings was you. You were the only one permitted to see him at his most vulnerable.

Perhaps that was why you allowed yourself to develop an emotional attachment to this vessel. Perhaps it was because you felt pity for this poor boy with only a book to call his friend.

Or perhaps... it was because somewhere, you saw in him the very same sort of person that you yourself once were. Sour, fickle… and painfully lonely.

You almost began to feel ashamed of yourself for deceiving the poor boy. You almost wished that you could halt everything and apologize to him for your horrible actions.

Almost… but not quite.

Your concern for him was strong, but your desire to be whole again was stronger still.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The boy grew up in what felt to you like the blink of an eye. Before you'd even realized it, the tiny, pitiful boy at your side was now a stronger, wiser, more mature, and slightly less pitiful young man.

He changed in many ways, and in many others he remained exactly the same. He outgrew his childish grudges and learned to hide his tears. His years spent studying in the shadow of his magic idols had humbled him greatly, yet at the same time brought out in him an entirely new level of smug superiority. He now had the skill and the practice to back up his big talk and, begrudging though it may be, he'd earned the respect of his peers and his elders alike.

He was still brash and foolhardy beyond all reason. He was still far from a pleasant or popular person by any means. But one thing was clear: he was no longer small, and he was no longer weak.

And that was all you needed… because at long last, you had found your missing half. The moment you had been preparing for all these years had finally arrived.

You were eager to go through with everything… yet every now and then, you felt yourself hesitate for reasons you couldn't understand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You had no trouble at all coercing him into completing the ceremony. He trusted you more than anyone else, more than his friends, his teachers, even his own parents. All it took was the promise of power, something you knew he sought intensely, and he was putty in your hands.

Better still, the three necessary magic artifacts were practically dropped into your lap by some hapless wizard. Whether it was fate or simply sheer dumb luck, you couldn't begin to guess, but you certainly wouldn't complain.

From there it was only a short trip to the ruins, followed by a short ceremony, and it was done. His soul was forced out of his body, and you leapt in to take its place. You gave not a thought to the boy’s well-being or his response to your horrible betrayal. A hundredfold more powerful with a physical form, you cared only for confronting the boy whose body housed your other half, and finally taking back what was yours.

… And you failed.

The blue boy was guarded by a powerful enchantment that not even your magic could hope to dispel. His companion stole one of the artifacts, they left the ruins, and that was the end of it.

The remaining items were claimed by two other girls, and once the last one was taken, you were forced out of your new vessel, back into the book.

You were exactly where you started… but now, you had even less than before. You'd destroyed the trust of the one person who had willingly given you companionship. What was in your future now? You would surely be cast out, returned to the library and tossed back into the pile of forgotten books, gathering dust for another several long, agonizing centuries…

… But that wasn't what happened.

_'... You… don't… mind…?'_

You could only manage those words through your ethereal connection, not entirely sure you could trust your own ears.

“Well, I suppose I’m just a _little_ peeved that you didn't give me any warning before you snatched my body from me,” he answered with a wry smile, “but no, it's fine. It was a good learning experience.”

You were still completely speechless. Thankfully, it didn't take long for him to fill the silence.

“So your old body was what you were after, huh… you should have told me so from the start. Still, I'm not sure I'd feel good about taking Sig's body while he's still using it…”

He appeared to be thinking deeply about everything, and you were still trying to understand why he hadn't tossed you in the garbage for what you’d done to him. Finally, he sat up with a conclusive shrug.

“Well, it can't be helped, can it? I suppose I don't mind sharing.”

_'... What…?'_

You stared dumbly at him for several seconds until he sighed and shook his head good-naturedly, leaning in to give you a clearer explanation.

“If you can't have your own body back, then we can share mine. You'll just have to follow a few simple rules. Sound agreeable to you?”

_'...'_

Your mind was a jumbled blur. How could he say these things to you? You had lied to him, exploited him, literally used him. How could he just… _give_ you this intimate privilege so freely, as though you'd done something to earn it and not the literal opposite? It confounded you so much that it actually made you feel a little angry…

Nonetheless, you hung your head and gave him a slow nod. Though you felt wholly undeserving of his forgiveness, you could not find it in your heart to refuse him.

And that was that. You had only to follow a few simple rules: not to make any scenes in public, not to interfere with his schoolwork, not to do anything too physically taxing, and to give some form of warning beforehand. So long as you honored those, his body was yours to use as you pleased.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You weren’t sure how it had come to this, but over time, the two of you eventually grew accustomed to this unusual symbiotic relationship.

Physically, you had no problems adjusting. Though his body was more fragile and far less athletic than your own, that was no issue to you. It could walk, talk, cast magic and, most importantly, it could hold and turn the pages of a book. That was more than enough to suit your needs.

Your magic powers were far less potent inside a human vessel, but that no longer mattered to you. After all these years, you would gladly choose this small freedom over all the power in the world.

Emotionally… accepting this was far more difficult.

When you were mortal, you were a bitter, wretched creature. You were feared and despised, and not without reason. You had terrorized people out of spoiled, childish anger. You had slain innocent men, you had torn families, friends, lovers apart, you had forced people out of their homes and destroyed their livelihoods.

You were not a good person. You hadn’t been one in life, and although time and remorse had mellowed you somewhat, you still were not one in the present. You were not good, and you did not deserve the kindness or hospitality of a foolish boy with such careless disregard for his own being.

In a way, you felt that being sealed inside this book had been your karmic retribution… and now, you couldn’t help but feel as though you were escaping your rightful punishment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He still carried you everywhere with him, and he still told you everything. Your lives carried on as though nothing had changed between you. He treated you dearly, more dearly than the countless other books that gathered dust in his room or the mortal friends he met daily at school. He cared for you like a precious treasure… and you decided that if karma refused to punish you properly, you would atone for what you'd done by caring for him in return.

Whenever his room became a deplorable, unlivable mess, you would take it upon yourself to clean and organize every part of it. Whenever he neglected to eat or drink properly, you would personally see to it that he had something substantial in him. Whenever anything made him miserably sick, you would be perfectly willing to endure the symptoms in his place.

And when a social situation overwhelmed him, you would step in for him and give him time to compose himself. Over the years you’d spent watching and listening to him, you could imitate his behaviors and speech patterns with near-flawless precision. More than once you’d swapped places during conversations with his close friends, even family members, and not one of them had ever suspected a thing.

None except for one person, perhaps… the blue boy who’d stolen your true body often gave you odd, accusing glances. But he knew as well as you did that he would never tell a soul.

Even if he did, who would believe him...?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In this way, you believed you could do something to repay this boy for his generosity. Though your idea of “caring” for him was somewhat… aggressive at times, it was born out of genuine concern for his well-being. It was no longer solely out of guilty obligation.

Your attachment to him had grown so much stronger with time, much more than even you had anticipated. You had thought you might grow fond of him through your years of coercion and deception, but only in the way that a conman might sympathize with his hapless victim. But your feelings ran far deeper… After everything the two of you had endured together, he had begun to feel almost like a son to you, in a way.

No… they were even deeper still.

When the two of you first met, he was a sniveling, snot-nosed brat. However, though he had become no less loud and annoying with age, he was now more confident, composed, eloquent and, dare you say it… charismatic. The sound of his voice when he talked to you, the sight of his face when he smiled at you, the comfort you felt when he carried you at his side… they all stirred up something powerful in your heart.

It did not take you long at all to realize that you had fallen in love with him.

You learned just as quickly, from the soft, sweet words he spoke to you and the gentleness with which he handled you, that his feelings for you were the same. Your connection with him was deep enough that you each understood the other’s desires immediately. There was no need for words between you.

For a time, you were happier than any words could express. After so many years wasted away in miserable loneliness, you now had another person with whom you could share the world. Simply being by his side gave you happiness, and finding ways to relieve his troubles or bring him any momentary joy gave meaning to your own existence. For the first time in your life, you knew what it was to feel contentment, and you foolishly convinced yourself that you could continue on like this forever.

But before long, you both realized that it wasn't enough.

You were two spirits sharing one body between the two of you… and because of this, you could not share any form of physical closeness. At first, you were perfectly fine with this. You both believed that your strong emotional connection would be more than enough to sustain you.

But you were wrong… you wanted more than that. You could never know true happiness unless you could be together in body, not only in spirit.

But as things were, that was no longer possible. Your true body was forever sealed off to you. No matter how you searched, no other person alive would willingly lend theirs to you, and you no longer had the power to take them by force. And there was no magic in the world, not even in the hands of the most powerful sorcerers, that would allow two souls to inhabit the same vessel at one time.

Inhabiting his body gave you some small comfort. In this way, you could touch him… you could dote upon him and show your affections in real, tangible ways. But in the end it was meaningless, because he could not touch you back. His soul could only watch from within the book. Likewise, when you returned his body, that was all you were able to do for him.

You were prepared to resign yourself to this fate… but he wasn't. He adamantly refused to accept it, and that only made it all the more painful.

He was a starry-eyed idealist who ignorantly believed that with magic, he could make the impossible possible. Once he set his mind on anything, he refused to listen to reason. As an accomplished sorcerer who had studied diligently for centuries, you tried to talk sense into him, but even your words couldn’t deter him. If anything, they only made him that much more determined to try.

_‘We have nothing to gain from this.’_

“You don’t know that.”

_‘I do. You’re putting yourself through needless pain.’_

“It’s not needless if it gives results.”

_‘The magic you’re seeking doesn’t exist.’_

“Then I’ll _make_ it exist! I’ll _invent_ it!”

Bless his stubborn young heart, he tried so hard to find a workaround. He shut himself up in his room for days at a time, pouring himself into research, working himself to the point of exhaustion. You watched him forego food, water, and sleep, all in pursuit of that elusive magic that could bring you both together, in every sense.

It pained you so much to see him carry on like this. You didn't stop him, but when you could bear it no more, you would take his health into your own hands. You made him eat, sleep and go outside, no matter how strongly he fought against it. If he insisted on continuing this silly endeavor for your sake, you refused to let him waste away because of it.

… It was silly, wasn't it? For two souls to fall so hopelessly in love when they could never share their lives with each other?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Why had this happened? You couldn't help but ask yourself that question repeatedly.

You asked yourself as you watched him attempt to create a functional vessel out of rocks and minerals he'd gathered on the floor. You knew that his efforts were hopeless from the start… while several spells existed that could reanimate the dead, or animate nonliving matter, there were none that could create from nothing a living body capable of harboring a living soul. But you let him try, knowing that his heart would never be satisfied until he did.

You watched him recite the incantations over and over, and you watched whatever pitiful structures he managed to conjure disintegrate into dust, over and over. You watched him try and try and try until the dust grew thick in the air and started catching in his lungs, making it impossible to recite anything.

You sat there in his arms, listening to his hoarse, frustrated sobs, staring up at him as he hugged you to his chest, both of you well aware that you could feel none of it.

… And all at once, you understood.

This was your punishment. This was how the higher powers would have you atone for your crimes.

You had not escaped your retribution. You had played right into it. To have you meet someone you would come to cherish more than anything else in your life, only to hold them forever just beyond your reach.

You would have preferred an eternity alone and forgotten in the library.

**Author's Note:**

> haha wow the tone of this became pretty melodramatic... but then again, strange klug is kind of a melodramatic person so that might not be a bad thing. -v-
> 
> thanks for reading~


End file.
